Fly-trap.



G. W. HOLT.

FLY TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. H. 1914.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

WITNESSES:

COLUMBMPLANOGRA'PH c0" WASHINGTON, n c

invir PEN? @FlfiE.

GEORGE WASHINGTON HOLT, OF POPLAR BLUFF, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECTAND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO JUDSON PRICE, OF POPLAR BLUFF, MISSOURI.

FLY-TRAP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen W. HOLT, residing at Poplar Bluff, in thecounty of Butler and State of Missouri, have invented a new and ImprovedFly-Trap, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to that class of fly traps in which isincluded an endless baited conveyor or belt for carrying the baitedflies to the catching cage and my said invention primarily has for itsobject to provide an improved fly catching means of the generalcharacter stated, of a simple and economical construction, in which thesev eral parts are so designed, that when not in use, they can beconveniently and compactly folded up for packing or shipping andcorrelatii 'ely so arranged that the operation of the destruction of thecaught flies can be easily and quickly effected.

My invention also has for its purpose to provide a fly catcher in whichis included means for positively preventing the escape of the fliescaught upon the belt and from passing alive from the receiving mouth ofthe catching cone that forms a part of the trapping means.

With further objects in view, that will hereinafter appear my inventionis an improved fly trap that embodies the peculiar features ofconstruction and the novel arrangement of parts hereinafter fullyexplained, specifically pointed out in the appended claims andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved fly trap, the parts beingshown at their operative position. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection thereof on the line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar viewthereof and shows the parts folded for transportation or storage. Fig. 4is a vertical section of the fly holder, the conveyer being omitted andthe throatway of the catching chamber shown closed. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of the inner or delivery edge of the conveyer and theguard devices carried thereby for causing the flies to positively enterthe gathering cone and to prevent their escape over the delivering'endof the said conveyer. Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the supplementalcatcher boxes hereinafter referred to.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a fly holding cage or chamberthat is formed Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 11, 1914.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915. Serial No. 856,189.

of four standards or legs 11 which are Joined, at the upper end, with atop board 2, having central opening 20 through which the caught fliesare discharged and normally the said opening 20 is closed by a screencover 5 hinged to the said top board 2, as shown.

3 designates the bottom of chamber and it has a central opening 30through which the flies pass as they are trapped in the manner presentlyexplained.

The sides and the ends of the cage or holder are formed by bending ascreen wire body around the standards l1 and securing the same theretoas shown.

6 designates a conical tube that is mounted over the opening 30 in thebottom 3 of the holder through which the trapped flies pass into thesaid holder.

To provide for catching a large number of flies, supplemental holders 7are provided, they being also formed of wire screen and the said holders7 are attached to the sides of the main holder by the bent hangerfingers 71 that engage the wire mesh of the main or body holder when thesupplemental devices are placed in position for use.

hen using the supplemental holder before mentioned its front side has areceiving opening 75 and a slidable gate 76 for closing such openingwhen the holder is removed from the main holder, it being understoodthat when the supplemental boxes or holders are used the ends of themain holder also have openings 51 controlled by slide gates, as shown.

8 designates the endless conveyer belt, which in my invention forms thecatching element since the same when set up for use is coated with sugaror other substance that attracts the flies, and the said belt passesover rollers 99 detachably mounted in a rectangular frame whose oppositeside arms 90 are removably mounted and pivotally supported near theirfront ends between the front legs l1 of the main or catcher frame, upona cross bolt 13 that passes through the said legs andthe side arms andis secured by a clamp nut 14, as shown.

By mounting the conveyer frame in the manner stated, the said conveyeris held with itsfront end over the fly entrance or opening 30 by theweight of the outer end when at the lowered position and the same frame,together with the endless conveyer, may be the holding readily detachedfrom the fly holding chamger when it is desired to destroy the caughtles.

By now referring more particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will benoticed that the conical member 6 has a restricted inlet or throatway 60and that the inner or discharging end of the conveyer extends un der thesaid throatway to such distance that the flies as they become freed whenthey pass beyond the bottom plate of the holding chamber and the closedbottom portion of the cone 6, may readily pass up into the said conefromwhich they pass, through the restricted upper end of the said cone, intothe main collecting chamber, in which they are contained untildischarged through the opening in the upper end thereof.

To positively guide the flies and cause them to pass into the cone 6,side guide plates 12 are secured to the delivery end of the conveyer andthey extend vertically up to the mouth of the receiving cone and to keepany of the flies from passing alive back with the belt, a transversemember or throat piece 15, is connected to the side guides 12, whoseupper end extends up to near the bottom of the mainchamber and whoselower end extends down over the under face of the front roll and forms,as it were, a closure member that crushes any flies that might pass overthe inner end of the belt, it being understood that the latter drop offthe belt as it passes to the outer or upgoing end of the conveyer.

16 designates a drop door hinged to the bottom of the fly holdingchamber and the same, when the conveyer is not in the operativeposition, is swung up to close the bottom of the said chamber, a latch16 being provided for holding the said door closed.

One of the side members of the conveyer frame has an extension 20 thatforms a seat for a motor 21 which may be an electric or clock or anyother suitable power device, and in practice the driven shaft 22 of themotor when set up for use is held in mesh with a gear 23 on the frontbelt driving roller 9.

From the foregoing description taken with the drawing the advantages andthe operation of my invention will be readily apparent. When set up foruse, as shown in Figs. land 2, the flies, as they are gathered on thebelt, are carried under the bottom of the fly holder toward the bottomopening and the restricted opening and the restricted throat in thereceiving cone; and as they reach the said cone opening they fly up intothe cone and from thence into the main catching chamber or holder, itbeing understood that the side guides on the inner end of the conveyerkeep the flies from passing sidewise from the belt and the transverse orclosure member located over the front of the inner end of the conveyerprevents any of the flies passingover the said end alive.

When it is desired to dump or destroy the caught flies the conveyer isremoved from the holder by pulling out the pivot pin 13 and when itisdesired to store up the entire device, (the motor being first removed)the conveyer frame is swung up to the vertical position, and held by alatch device, as shown in Fig. 8.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. In an insect trap, the combination of a holder having a door covereddischarge opening in the top and an opening in the bottom for thepassage of the trapped flies, a conical throatway. to the said openingmounted over the opening in the said bottom, a hinged door pendent fromthe holder bottom for closing the said opening at times, of an endlessconveyer, a frame upon which it is mounted removably and pivotallysupported on the holder to swing to a vertical and to a. horizontalposition, the pivotal connection of the conveyer being relatively suchwith respect to the holder whereby when the said conveyer is at ahorizontal or operative position the front end of the conveyer ex,

tends under the bottom of the holder and practically across the flyentrance thereto, means on the discharging end of the conveyer forguiding the flies to the said opening in the holder bottom and othermeans connected with the said guiding means that forms a retarder forkeeping flies that might pass beyond the opening in the bottom of theholder from passing back with the convever.

2. In a fly trap; a trap cage having a bottom entrance, an endlessconveyer projected beneath the said entrance and arranged to deliverflies to said entrance, said conveyer including a frame having a guardto close over said entrance to prevent the escape of.

the flies, means between the ends of the conveyer for pivotally securingsaid frame near the cage whereby the outwardly pro jected part of theconveyer will overbalance the part that projects beneath the cage to.

hold the said guard over the entrance to the cage.

GEORGE WASHINGTON HOLT. Witnesses:

E. G. WARREN, H. H. WILCOX.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 10.0.

